Seven suspects have been arrested by the Montreal police this week during an organized crime operation aimed at dismantling the city’s Italian mafia.
Six men between the ages of 34 and 59 and one 44-year-old woman were taken into custody by the Montreal Police Service (SVPM) on April 9 after raids were conducted in the Montreal boroughs of LaSalle and Verdun, as well as in Brossard, on the South Shore, police said in a press conference.
The raids were part of an ongoing operation focused on disrupting organized crime networks within the city, Commander Francis Renaud, head of the Montreal police organized crime unit, said during the April 9 press conference.
All seven of the apprehended suspects are allegedly connected to “traditional Italian organized crime,” a SPVM press release says.
The suspects were arrested on warrants pre-authorized by the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions and five of them are facing charges connected to committing an offence for the benefit of a criminal organization, trafficking in substances, and possession of substances for the purpose of trafficking, police said.
Renaud described the apprehended suspects as “pretty popular” and “very well-known” in LaSalle, but added that they had been “passing under the radar” for several years.
“We don’t hear about LaSalle and organized crime, Italian organized crime a lot,” he told reporters, noting that this particular branch is “not afraid to mix with other organized crime … the bikers, the Irish, to make their business go on, and they’re getting along.”
The organized crime investigation has been conducted in multiple phases with 10 arrests since it began in August 2023, Renaud said.
A significant amount of drugs, firearms, and cash were seized during previous raids that occurred in January and May 2024, police said. Officers seized a total of 32 kilograms of cocaine, four kilograms of crystal meth, $2.2 million in cash, and 12 firearms during the two raids.
Renaud said while the police operation has likely dealt a significant blow to the organized crime syndicate in some parts of the city, it does not mean the cocaine trade in Montreal has been significantly hindered.
“I’m not here to tell you that I’ve stopped cocaine traffic in Montreal,” he said, noting that if the charges stick and the suspects are sentenced to jail time that “of course they will find somebody else to replace those guys.”
“It’s our job to [monitor] the intel and see who is coming in to take the place, and do the exact same thing again,” he said.
Roughly 40 officers have taken part in the operation since its inception.
